plmLab
PLM CoreIn progress

What is PLM, and why do people misunderstand it?

A grounded definition of Product Lifecycle Management, its boundary with ERP and MES, and the five misunderstandings that show up in almost every conversation about it.

8 min read

What PLM actually is

This article is in progress. The intent is to give a grounded definition of PLM that doesn't lean on vendor brochures — one that holds up in a room with an ERP architect, a manufacturing engineer, and a quality lead.

Where it gets confused

The five misunderstandings live here once the draft is ready:

  1. PLM is "just a vault"
  2. PLM and ERP are interchangeable
  3. PLM ends at release-to-manufacturing
  4. PLM is an IT system
  5. PLM is the same thing across industries

Boundary with ERP and MES

The clean way to draw the line — coming soon.